Between setting sun, rising moon, JRS discovers beachhead of horror

Published: 2005-01-28

ACEH ISLAND, Indonesia (CNS) -- The sun set over Aceh island, a bright ball disappearing into the Indian Ocean. On the other end of the island, a nearly full moon glowed over coconut trees on the mountains overlooking the fishing villages of Lampuyang and Lhoh. Between the setting sun and the rising moon was a beachhead of horror: fallen coconut trees, rotting corpses and a tangle of domestic debris discovered by volunteers from Jesuit Refugee Service who arrived on the island by boat Jan. 24. Villages were completely destroyed on Aceh island, about a two-hour boat ride from the city of Banda Aceh on the tip of Sumatra island. JRS staffers found cattle huddled in the midst of debris; in the mountains, dogs howled as staffers moved farther inland. The JRS team that arrived nearly one month after the Dec. 26 tsunamis was the first relief group to visit the island. Team members planned to survey the damage and make plans to return displaced villagers. They were joined by a small army of volunteers who helped bury the dead.

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